adminBOURNEMOUTH. — Manchester United made a flying start to the Jose Mourinho era as goals from Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed a 3-1 win in their English Premier League soccer opener at Bournemouth yesterday.
And Mourinho expects Ibrahimovic to help Manchester United rule the Premier League after the Swedish star marked his debut with an excellent goal in yesterday’s win at Bournemouth.
After winning league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, Ibrahimovic has his sights set on adding a Premier League medal to his glittering trophy cabinet.
Ibrahimovic has now scored on his debut in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League and United manager Mourinho is confident his close-season signing is only just getting started.
The 34-year-old, who arrived from PSG on a free transfer, scored United’s third goal with a well-struck 25-yard shot, earning an early comparison with Old Trafford icon Eric Cantona.
“Eric Cantona was here at the best moment in his career. This guy (Ibrahimovic) is more than a player,” Mourinho said.
“For the next two seasons I think he can be phenomenal for the team and the Premier League.
“It’s incredible how Zlatan has never won the Golden Ball, but he wants to win the Premier League, not the Golden Ball.”
Ibrahimovic admitted it isn’t always easy to adapt to a new league, so he was delighted to get off to a winning and goal-scoring start to life in the English elite.
“The team did good. It was a difficult game. In the first half we weren’t 100 percent but we had more space in the second half and could play our game,” Ibrahimovic said.
“It’s important to start good. Being new to the league is not easy. Everything is new for me, my team-mates, the clubs, the environment. I just play my game.
“I try to do my job and help my team. The first objective is to win, it’s also good if I score. But it’s the same importance whoever scores.”
Mourinho is desperate to restore his tarnished reputation after being sacked by Chelsea last season and the United manager enjoyed an encouraging return to the touchline in his first league match since a December defeat at Leicester triggered his exit from Stamford Bridge.
In the absence of Paul Pogba, their world record signing, United eased to victory after Mata punished a horrible mistake by Bournemouth defender Simon Francis just before half-time and Rooney added the second after the interval.
That set the stage for the latest memorable moment in Ibrahimovic’s glittering career as the Swedish forward netted with a fine strike to mark his Premier League debut in the same goalscoring style he celebrated his maiden appearances in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
After a lackadaisical first half, United moved smoothly through the gears once Mata opened the scoring and, although Adam Smith got one back for Bournemouth, Mourinho will hope to build on the momentum from this result as he eyes a title challenge.
Bournemouth were United’s opponents when they concluded a frustrating league campaign last season, but whereas the staid atmosphere at Old Trafford that day reflected the drab nature of Louis van Gaal’s reign, there was a whiff of revolution in the air on the genteel south coast as Mourinho’s reign got underway.
Mourinho has wasted little time stamping his authority on an underachieving squad and, although world record signing Pogba was serving a one-man ban incurred at Juventus last season, the United boss paraded new signings Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly.
Ibrahimovic started as United’s central striker with Rooney behind him and the wide roles filled by Anthony Martial and Mata, who featured despite the Spaniard’s touchline spat with Mourinho when he was substituted having only just come on in last weekend’s Community Shield win over Leicester.
Mourinho’s men took 23 minutes to muster a shot and even then Martial’s effort from the left side of the penalty area flew well wide of Artur Boruc’s goal.
But United finally pieced together an incisive attack when Ander Herrera picked out Antonio Valencia and the right-back crossed to Mata, who set up Rooney for a low shot straight at Boruc. — AFP.
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